Discover 8 ways manufacturers can leverage contact centers to enhance their client experience

Unify all communication channels within one platform 

Manufacturing companies often have multiple service departments spread across various locations. To prevent siloed communication between your service teams and clients, implement a single communication platform for all your client service needs, such as a contact center.

Consolidating all communication channels into a comprehensive contact center platform enables multiple manufacturing sites to eliminate communication silos– regardless of where your employees and clients are located. 

Build client relationships with personalization  

In addition to consolidating communication channels onto a contact center platform, organizations may also integrate a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tool. A CRM can provide your service teams with client information, related contracts and warranties.

According to a 2016 Salesforce Report, 72% of manufacturing service teams agree that a shared, single view of the customer is critical to their overall service process. Integrating a CRM with a contact center can help service teams a single view of client information, enabling them to provide personalized experiences and build stronger client relationships. 

Gain complete oversight of daily operations   

Real-time monitoring allows manufacturers to optimize their communication, all within a single dashboard. When external clients call into your contact center platform, real-time monitoring will notify service team leads if certain thresholds have exceeded.

Additionally, team leads can receive information on service employees’ performance, queues, and interactions. Implementing a real-time monitoring system allows you to assess daily performance and implement client service improvements where possible.  

Embrace an omnichannel approach  

While having multiple channels are a great way to reach clients through their preferred communication method, consider taking it to the next level with omnichannel. Omnichannel contact centers not only allow clients to get connected on their preferred channels but also enable your service team to continue the conversation where it left off.

For example, this can be especially helpful if your clients are calling in about a recent order they placed or a product issue they reached out about several weeks ago. As well, omnichannel stores the context and continuity of the entire client journey, which is important when it comes to personalizing their experiences.  

Prepare for disaster recovery and business continuity on your client service platform  

Ensure your communication platform is up and running at all times. Maintaining communication with your clients is essential, especially when dealing with time-sensitive projects or urgent requests.

Contact centers that experience downtime can lead to communication breakdowns and create delays in project delivery. Therefore, be sure your contact center provider has a disaster response or contingency plan to avoid mishaps.

Some contact centers have 99.99% uptime to ensure smooth and uninterrupted project delivery. With a contingency plan in place, your organization can respond to time-sensitive projects and serve your clients effectively.  

Streamline workloads all year long 

Offer clients self-service options that are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, without your service team stepping in. Provide them with access to product information through knowledge bases and receive order status with IVRs and chatbots. This enables your team to focus on other client needs that require more attention and cases that are of higher priority.

Keep in mind that chatbots are not intended to replace humans completely. Instead, they can be useful for handling repetitive and routine tasks, such as submitting forms and searching databases.  

Keep clients up to date with valuable information  

Outbound notifications — regarding order status, product information, and more — ensure timely and relevant communication throughout the manufacturing order process.

By automating outbound notifications, you can ensure consistent, reliable information sharing with every client. Keeping your clients informed and up-to-date before they contact you is a proactive way to maintain and strengthen the relationship. 

Reduce the number of transfers by directing calls to the right person of contact  

Implementing routing rules allows clients to be assigned to the appropriate agent based on their role and service history. This way, clients calling in can reach the right employee, regardless of where your employees are located and which department they belong to.

By routing clients to the appropriate service employee, they can save time from unnecessary transfers and improve their satisfaction. 

By delivering excellent client service, manufacturers can gain a competitive advantage. Fortunately, leveraging contact center technologies can help manufacturers’ enhance communication and ultimately, improve client relationships.

To learn more about how ComputerTalk's ice Contact Center can help your manufacturing company, click here.